Why This Rangers Top Prospect Isn’t Close

The Texas Rangers spent a lot of pitching prospect capital to try and improve the team for a potential playoff run last season that fell short.

That allowed several pitchers to move up the pecking order in the organization. None of them are more intriguing than right-hander Caden Scarborough. Last year at this time he was barely a Top 30 prospect in the organization. When MLB Pipeline released its Top 30 rankings for the preseason Scarborough was ranked No. 2.

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It’s not hard to see why. Last year, he went 2-5 but he trimmed the ERA to 2.45 in 22 games (21 starts), with 114 strikeouts and 21 walks in 88 innings. Batters hit just .181 against him. He also had a 0.88 WHIP. He did that with Class-A Hickory and High-A Hub City.

So, he’s not close to the Majors. But that’s all right for now.

Caden Scarborough’s Rise

Congratulations to Caden Scarborough on winning Carolina League Pitcher of the Week!

The 20-year-old tossed 5 no-hit innings with 7 strikeouts on Thursday at Charleston. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/hMliSHKnGa
— Rangers Player Development (@TEXPlayerDev) August 18, 2025

Scarborough is only 20 years old, as the Rangers drafted him in the 2023 MLB draft out of Harmony (Fla.) High School. He was a two-sport star in high school and Texas thought enough of him that they paid him an above-slot bonus of $515,000 to get him to start playing pro baseball at 18 years old instead of playing college baseball at Dallas Baptist.

He’s pitched in just 28 minor league games, with 23 starts, and has a 4-6 record with a 2.93 ERA. He has 127 strikeouts and 30 walks in 98.1 innings. Between not pitching above High-A and only being 20 years old, he has plenty of time — and need to develop.

Part of that is going to be adding velocity. Per MLB.com, his fastball now sits in the 92-97 mph range, and he’s crafted a slider that runs in the low-80s. at 6-foot-5, he has plenty of room to develop, as MLB’s scouts attached praise to Scarborough’s overall mechanics.

Several more experienced pitchers are behind him in the prospect rankings. For instance, last year’s second-round pick, A.J. Russell, has college experience but is ranked No. 3. He’s followed by right-hander Jose Corniell, who made his MLB debut last year but has been optioned back to minor league camp out of spring training. Right behind him is another right-hander, Winston Santos, who sustained a hand injury in spring training to his non-throwing hand.

There is plenty of promise attached to Scarborough. Chances are he’ll start the season at Double-A, and if the Rangers take a patient track with him in 2026, he could spend the entire season there, followed by a move to Triple-A Round Rock in 2027.

He’s not ready for the Majors yet. He may be ready for a spot in Major League spring training next February. That’s OK for Scarborough and that’s OK for the Rangers. There’s no need to rush.